


june - i love you and you seem to like me

by woodchoc_magnum



Series: you can tell everybody this is your song [14]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Bottom Evan "Buck" Buckley, Christopher Diaz is a National Treasure, Established Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz, Family Drama, Family Feels, Fluff, Las Vegas, M/M, Natural Disasters, Sex Toys, Smut, Soft Eddie Diaz, Team as Family, Worried Firefam
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-24
Updated: 2020-09-24
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:40:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 19,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26628448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/woodchoc_magnum/pseuds/woodchoc_magnum
Summary: "But at the end of the day we're putting more lives at risk. If they've been caught up in the landslide, there's nothing we can do. The rain's forecast to last until the end of the week.""Then I'll go in by chopper!" Chimney shouted over the sound of the pouring rain. "Lower me in and I'll look for them myself. Those are my brothers down there!" His voice cracked, full of emotion. "Please, Cap. I'll go in. I'll take the truck by myself, just let me go look for them."
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Series: you can tell everybody this is your song [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1816843
Comments: 97
Kudos: 432





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Well guys, we are one month out from the end, and this is a jam-packed chapter.
> 
> Thank you to everyone reading along and commenting - your comments really make my day! 🥰

"Here they are," Carla said to Christopher, as Eddie and Buck let themselves into the house, over an hour later than usual. They'd been delayed, finishing up at the scene of a truck rollover, and had hurried home from the station without showering to relieve Carla.

"I'm so sorry," Eddie apologised to her. "We got held up; there was nothing we could do."

"It's fine, it's fine," she reassured him.

"Hey buddy," Buck said to Christopher. "Did you guys have fun at the museum today?"

"Yes, it was _awesome_ ," Christopher replied as he gave Buck a hug. "Can we all go together on your next day off?"

"Sure thing man, you know I'm always up for a museum visit." Buck pecked Carla on the cheek and started down the hall, unbuttoning his uniform shirt. "I call first shower."

"Hey, wait a minute," Carla said to him, and he stopped in his tracks. "There's mail for you in the kitchen. Looked kind of official."

"Official?" Buck shared a look with Eddie, who had Christopher wrapped in a burly bear hug. "Okay, I'll have a look."

Carla picked up her handbag, starting to the door. "Everything all squared away for the big birthday surprise?" she murmured to Eddie, who held a finger to his lips. Christopher copied him, and she flashed them a smile. "He has no idea?"

"He knows it's _something_ , but he doesn't know what. It's a secret."

"A big secret," Christopher whispered.

Carla nodded. "I'll keep my mouth shut. All right you three, have a nice night. I'll see you all on Friday morning."

"Sounds great. Thanks, Carla," he replied.

"Thanks Carla!" Buck called from the kitchen.

"Bye boys," she said, waving to them as she made her exit.

Eddie set Christopher back down on the couch, dropping a kiss to his forehead, snickering when Christopher groaned and pulled away. " _Daaaaaad._ "

"Oh come on," he complained. "I've been at work all day."

"You smell!"

Eddie gave himself a whiff and made a face. "You're not wrong about that. What are you watching?"

" _Scooby Doo_ ," he replied, his eyes trained on the screen. "Can we watch a movie tonight?"

"Sure." Eddie ruffled his hair, and then realised that Buck was suspiciously silent. He wandered into the kitchen and found him leaning against the counter, reading an official-looking document with a serious expression on his face.

"What's that?" Eddie asked him quietly, standing at his side.

Buck passed him a cheque wordlessly.

His jaw dropped. He was holding a cheque for half a million dollars, made out to Evan Buckley. "Your trust."

"Yeah." Buck let out a trapped breath. "Even though… I knew it was coming; I still… didn't think it would actually happen."

"Me either," he admitted, turning the cheque over in his hands. "I feel like I want to put it in a safe or something to protect it."

"I'll take it to the bank first thing in the morning. I don't know what to do, because… we need to figure out what we're doing to do with this, and… we probably need to sit down with a financial advisor or something? But I don't really know," he said, glancing at Eddie helplessly. "What do you do with all this money?"

"Well, we'll deposit it into our savings account," Eddie said, "and then on our day off next week, we'll make an appointment at the bank to figure out what to do. Okay? First thing's first – put it in the bank."

"Right."

"And no motorbikes."

"No way." Buck took the cheque from him and examined it with a grimace. "I feel sick."

"Why?"

"It's a lot of money. I don't really know what to do with all this money." Buck was chewing on his lower lip anxiously, but when Eddie gently rubbed the small of his back and tucked in against him, he relaxed a bit.

"What's got you worried? You think I'm going to run off on you?"

He let out a chuckle, and then gave Eddie a warning look. "I'll find you."

"Yeah, I bet." Eddie tilted his head up so Buck could kiss him. "Listen – yeah, it's a lot of money but it's not a huge amount of money, you know? It's not like it's five million dollars."

"Right."

"And you decide what to do, okay? This is your money."

"Our money. We're paying off your truck, first thing."

He exhaled slowly. "I'm the idiot who impulse bought a truck. You shouldn't have to suffer for my mistakes."

"Suffer? Did you see how much this is? It's not five million dollars but it's still a lot more than I've ever had." Buck hooked an arm around his shoulders and hugged him close. "This will cover the honeymoon. We can put some of it aside for college for our kids. It's a deposit for a new house."

Eddie looked up at him for confirmation. "If you're sure."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Buck kissed his forehead. "We can be responsible adults."

He laughed. "Can we? I can't promise I won't impulse buy another truck one day, and you like buying random shit on Amazon way too much."

"Hey, the camping supplies were a good deal—"

"And we haven't been camping since you bought them."

"Yeah, but we will." Buck folded the cheque and tucked it into his wallet. "Okay. First thing in the morning, I'm going to the bank to deposit this."

"And then we work out what needs to be paid." Eddie kissed him again and patted his back. "Go and have a shower. We both reek."

"Yep. You want to order some dinner? I don't feel like pizza, but anything else you pick is fine." Buck handed him the pile of take-out menus from on top of the fridge. "I'm starving so order a lot."

Eddie grinned at him. "I'll talk it over with the boss."

~

They ordered Chinese for dinner, and by the time Eddie was out of the shower it had been delivered. They settled in at the table to eat, listening as Christopher filled them in on his day at the museum. Eddie kept his eyes on Buck, watching his mind ticking over with ideas for their next family outing.

When there was a lull in conversation, Eddie said to Christopher, "Your birthday is next week. Do you want to have a party?"

Christopher shook his head. "Nope."

"No party?" Buck asked, surprised. "Why not?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I just want to hang out with you guys."

"Do you want to go camping?" Buck asked, his eyes flicking to Eddie mischievously.

Christopher shook his head. "No."

"No camping?!"

"Nope."

"Buddy, you're turning ten," Eddie said gently. "Are you sure you don't want to invite some friends over for a party? Maybe have a sleepover? Buck and I will both be here – we don't have to work."

Christopher shook his head firmly. "Everyone's away."

"Okay, so no camping, no friends…" Buck met Eddie's eyes again and mouthed, ' _Disney?_ '

Eddie grimaced. Disneyland, in summer, at its peak?

Christopher was distracted with a fortune cookie, so Buck mouthed at him with wide eyes, ' _Universal Studios?'_

That might be better – Christopher _loved_ movies, and maybe it wouldn't be as intense as a first trip to Disneyland. He'd always wanted to set aside a few days and stay at the resort to do the park properly, so Universal Studios was a more enticing prospect.

"Hey kiddo," he said, nodding at Buck. "How about we go to Universal Studios?"

Christopher's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah, just the three of us. What do you think?"

"That sounds _awesome_!" he exclaimed, bouncing in his seat. "Yes! Really, Dad? Really?"

"Yes, really," Eddie replied, and laughed when Christopher pulled him in to plant a sloppy kiss to his cheek. "You'll love it," he said, hoping that was true. "Buck, have you been?"

"Sure haven't," Buck said, reaching over with his chopsticks to steal the last spring roll from the box. "We'll all get to experience it for the first time together."

"Awesome," Christopher said again, turning to throw his arms around Buck in an awkward hug.

"You're definitely sure you don't want a party, right? Turning ten is a big deal," Eddie said, raising his eyebrows at Christopher. "We could get you a cake—"

Christopher shook his head firmly. "No."

**~*~*~*~**

**Christopher**

"Hey Buck," he said, before Buck could grab the book from the nightstand. "I have to talk to you."

"What's up, bud?" Buck asked, taking a seat on the end of the bed and regarding him seriously. "Everything okay?"

He nodded, pushing himself further up in his bed. "I need to ask you a question."

"Okay," Buck said carefully. "Do you want me to get your dad as well?"

"No, just you."

"Is this about your birthday? Are you sure you don't want a party?"

He shook his head firmly. "No."

"Why not, buddy? I thought you'd want us to really celebrate this year." Buck had a worried look on his face – like maybe he thought something was _wrong_ , but there was nothing wrong.

The reason was kinda stupid, and he was embarrassed to admit it, but with Buck looking so concerned he figured he had to tell him something. "This could be my last birthday with just us three," he admitted, ducking his head.

Buck was quiet for a moment, and then he said gently, "Christopher, we won't have a baby by this time next year. I guarantee it."

"But you might."

"Do you not want us to have a baby?"

He did want that – of course he wanted that, because they wanted it and he could be a big brother. He'd be a great big brother. He said, "Yes, but I also want you to myself too."

"Aw, kiddo," Buck said quietly, moving to sit beside him on the bed, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.

"I want a brother or sister," he clarified, "but I still want to be your best friend."

"You're always going to be my best friend," Buck said reassuringly. "That won't change."

"But if you have a baby of your own, then I'm not really your son," he practically whispered.

Buck shook his head, his blue eyes wide. "Hey, we talked about this," he replied gently. "Your dad and Carla are organising the paperwork for me to adopt you. I'm going to be your other dad, legally, one hundred percent."

"But you'll love them more."

Buck shook his head. "Chris, that's not how love works. It's not a competition. There's room in my heart for you, your dad, our family and friends and our future baby. I have so much love for everyone. You're my best friend in the whole world. I already think of you like you're my son… I love you so much, Christopher. My love for you will not diminish if we have another baby."

Christopher turned on his side, hugging Buck. "Promise?"

"I promise. And listen – this is not something you have to worry about right now. Your dad and I still have to get married first, and then we're going on a big holiday," Buck said, crooking a finger under his chin to lift his head. "Maybe life will change a bit in the future, but for right now, it's still the three of us. And we're going to have so much fun in Hawaii, kiddo. You wait until you see how blue the ocean is – it's going to blow your mind."

"Really?" he asked hopefully. "I can't wait."

"I have so much planned," Buck said, a big smile on his face. "Lots of surprises for you."

"What kind of surprises?"

"Awesome ones." Buck planted a kiss to his forehead and grinned at him. "And for your birthday, we'll go to Universal Studios and make your dad go on all the fast rides."

He was giggling, nodding, snuggled up to Buck. "Yeah."

"And maybe we'll have a little cake at night," Buck said in a low voice. "Just a little one. You've got to have a cake on your birthday."

"Okay," he agreed, because that sounded reasonable and he loved cake. "I'm sorry, Buck."

"What for?"

"For… wanting you all to myself," he admitted quietly.

"You have nothing to apologise for." Buck smacked a kiss to the side of his head. "Do you want to read a book?"

He shook his head. "At the wedding, what happens?"

"What do you mean?"

"What do I do?"

"Oh. Well, we're going to do a run through of the ceremony before the big day," Buck said, "but you and Bobby will stand at the head of the aisle with the marriage celebrant, and then your dad and I will walk up the aisle together. You'll stand beside your dad and I'll stand with Bobby, and the marriage celebrant will begin the ceremony. It should only take ten or fifteen minutes and then we'll be married."

"And I give my speech?"

"Yep. Aunty Maddie is going to read something first and then it'll be your turn, but you don't have to do it if you don't want to."

"I want to," he said firmly.

Buck smiled at him. "As long as you're sure."

"I'm sure. When did you fall in love with my dad?"

"Ah…" Buck trailed off. "Well, that's not an easy answer because I've been falling in love with your dad ever since the day we first met."

He was totally confused. "But you love him now."

"Oh yeah, I love him _so much_ , but I'm still falling more in love with him every day."

"What does that mean?"

Buck shrugged. "I don't know how to explain it… I've been in love before, Chris – well, I thought I was in love, but it was nothing like the way I feel for your dad. Like… every single day, he does something new and I think how lucky I am, and how… I always felt like I was alone, before I met you and your dad… even though I had friends and girlfriends, I always felt alone. And Eddie made it so that I'm not alone anymore. He gave me the family I always wanted. The day he introduced me to you, it was like things clicked into place. Like my life made sense, finally. I don't know." Buck's voice was low. "I have to write my vows and I don't know what to say."

"You could just say that."

"Yeah, but it's not enough. I want it to be perfect."

"Dad won't care if it's not perfect, because he loves you no matter what," he said simply, and Buck smiled down at him.

"Yeah, you're right," he said, hugging him close. "He does."

"Do you think I'll fall in love one day?"

"I hope so, buddy, but if it turns out that it's not what you want, that's okay too."

"Do you think anyone will love me?" he asked hesitantly.

Buck regarded him with surprise. "Definitely," he said with conviction. "I have no doubt. You are the _best_. You make people happy, Chris."

"Do I?"

"Yep. For sure."

He wasn't sure he believed that, but he was certain he made _Buck_ happy, and so he hugged him close. Buck was going to be his other _dad._ That was amazing and exciting, and he could hardly believe it, so he asked, "Do I still get to call you Buck?"

Buck laughed. "Of course, buddy."

"Awesome."

**~*~*~*~**

"I don't understand," Helena said stiffly. "What do you mean, we're not invited?"

"Just to the Universal Studios part of it," Eddie stressed, pacing back and forth across the living room. "I know you're coming for the party at Abuela's on Sunday, but the three of us are going to Universal Studios together. That's what Christopher wants."

"But we want to see our grandson on his birthday."

"You'll see him the day after. Mom, I asked him repeatedly if he wanted a party; did he want a cake – his answer was firm. He wants to go to Universal Studios with Buck and I, and nobody else. That's it."

"Oh, but I bet your friends from the station get to come along," she said bitterly.

Eddie sighed, irritated. They'd been on the phone for ten minutes – the conversation was pleasant enough at first, but when he'd mentioned the birthday outing, it had quickly devolved.

"I told you," he said, as patiently as he could. "It's just the three of us. Nobody else, as per Christopher's request."

"Well maybe I could speak to him and tell him that his grandfather and I would love to be with him on his special day."

"Mom, I'm not putting Christopher in the middle of this. Of course he'll say yes to you," he replied, as Buck stepped out of Christopher's room, pulled the door shut and then disappeared down the hallway. He heard the bedroom door close and wondered what that was about.

"If he says yes, then problem solved."

"He'll say yes because he's a nice kid who doesn't want to upset his grandmother. He told me what he wants. We are doing what he wants. It's his birthday. Mom, you won't like Universal Studios anyway, so there's no point in you coming along. This is something for _my_ family, okay?"

She gave a haughty sniff. "Last I checked, I was your family."

"My _immediate family_. My soon-to-be husband and our child."

There was a long silence. "Our child," she repeated. "Buck's not his father."

He paused. "Yes, he is," he said slowly. "He's adopting him. We've started the paperwork."

"You never told me that."

"Yes, I did."

"No."

"Yes, I did!" he snapped, frustrated. "Listen, I've got to go, all right? I definitely told you about Buck adopting Christopher. Please accept that you aren't invited to Universal Studios. If you want to discuss anything, we can talk about it on Sunday. Not Saturday."

"You know, I don't like your tone."

"I'm hanging up, Mom. I have to go. See you on Sunday." Eddie ended the call, felt instantly guilty, but fought the urge to follow it up with an apology text. Maybe if he just started saying exactly what he wanted, they would finally understand.

_Maybe._

~~

Buck left Christopher's room after putting him to sleep and went into their bedroom, pulling the door shut behind him. He expected Eddie would come looking for him, but he needed a moment alone to deal with the wave of guilt that crashed over him.

He'd been selfish wanting his own kids when they had Christopher, and even though Eddie was on board with it, maybe they needed to abandon the idea. After all, they were _happy_ , the three of them, and they weren't wanting for anything. It didn't feel like a piece of the puzzle was missing – if anything, he'd felt nothing but complete ever since he and Eddie had begun their relationship.

So why the hell did he need to have his own biological kid, anyway? He was lucky enough to share the greatest kid in the world with the man he loved, and that was enough.

As if on cue, the door opened, and Eddie stepped into the room. "What's wrong?" he asked, flicking the overhead light on.

Buck had been sitting on the end of the bed in darkness. He blinked over at him and said, "Chris doesn't want a birthday party because he thinks this is the last birthday he'll have with just the three of us."

Eddie's eyes widened. "Oh."

"And I feel like shit because I don't need another kid." He paused, and then added, "But I do want one. Fuck."

Eddie closed the door, and joined him on the bed, facing him with one leg tucked underneath himself. "It's okay," he said gently. "It's okay to want more kids. I want more kids."

"But if he doesn't—"

"Christopher is just a little scared about change. That's all," Eddie said firmly. "I've talked to him about this – about how you and I would have another kid, or another two kids… how our lives would be different. How we would move into a bigger house, and how he'll be an awesome big brother. He's turning ten, and in the not-too-distant future he's going to be looking at going to college and moving away from us. He understands that we want to have some more kids."

"He said I'd love them more, because they'd be biologically related to me," Buck said, and pressed his hands to his face. "I feel like such a shit. So selfish."

"You're _not._ " Eddie took his hand and squeezed it. "Listen – he's used to being on his own. What did you say to him?"

"I told him love isn't a competition and I have enough love for everyone."

"Of course you do. We both do – that's how families work. He's just going to take a little time to wrap his head around it – and he has time, because we're not going to start looking into that until the end of the year, right?"

"Maybe we don't use Sophia's eggs," Buck said quietly. "Maybe we get a donor and do that thing where they mix the sperm up or whatever it is that they do, so we don't know whose kid it is. It's just our kid."

"Baby," Eddie said gently, "when that kid comes out with bright blue eyes, I think it'll be a dead giveaway. You know it doesn't matter to me if it's your sperm or my sperm – that kid is going to be _my kid_ , no matter what. Just like Christopher is _your kid._ The biological side doesn't matter, does it?"

He shook his head.

"You love him just as much as if he was your own." Eddie shifted closer to him, taking his hand, and when Buck met his eyes, he smiled. "Hey – don't worry so much. We get married next month."

At that he couldn't help but smile back, excitement flaring again. "I can't wait to call you my husband."

"Me too." Eddie lifted Buck's hand to his lips. "I can't wait. Carla's going to have the adoption paperwork ready for us to sign on the same day, so it's all official. Our wedding day is the day you become Christopher's father, like… spiritually and legally, I guess."

"I can't believe you're letting me adopt your son."

"I told you," Eddie said quietly. "There is nobody in this world I trust with my son more than you. It makes sense that I marry you, just to keep you around permanently."

"Yeah, but when you said that, you said it to make me feel better—"

"No." Eddie raised his eyebrows at him. "I said it because it was true then and it's true now. If something had happened to me _then_ , before we were together, I wanted him to be with you. I knew that before I knew I was in love with you. From the moment you met Christopher, you treated him like he was your equal. You constantly went out of your way to help me and by extension, help him. When I said that to you, I meant every single fucking word. It wasn't me trying to snap you out of your funk, it was me being honest."

"Damn, Diaz."

"Yeah, well." Eddie patted his cheek. "Sometimes you need a kick up the butt."

Buck arched an eyebrow. "I could think—"

"Nope!" Eddie cut in quickly, pushing him down onto the bed playfully. "No jokes about butt stuff."

"Aw, but babe—"

"No."

~~

They were invited to Chimney and Maddie's house for a get-together on a Wednesday evening. Christopher was at a sleepover at Hen's house, and as soon as he'd seen Denny he'd shouted, "We're going to Universal Studios on the weekend!"

Denny had looked at Hen and Karen with despair and asked, "Can we go _too_?"

Eddie and Buck had left them to deal with that situation and were still chuckling about it when they arrived at the Han-Buckley household, where baby Charlotte was immediately thrust into Buck's arms.

Eddie left Maddie and Buck in the living room and followed Chimney into the kitchen. "You cooking, Chim? I'd offer to help but that's more Buck's thing."

"It's all under control," Chimney replied, flashing him a grin. "I heard Buck's trust came in."

"Yeah, he went to the bank and deposited the cheque. We were looking at the account last night – I still can't believe it."

"Don't rush out and make any impulse purchases. His mom told Maddie that if Buck doesn't start answering their calls, he definitely won't be in the Will."

Eddie paused. "They've been calling him?"

"He didn't tell you? Maybe he blocked them. They've been trying non-stop to get in touch with him." Chimney took the roasting pan out of the oven and set it on the bench.

"I'll ask him," Eddie said, and went out to the living room. "Babe, did you block your parents from calling you?"

Buck tore his eyes away from his niece and said, "Oh yeah, last year. Why?"

"They've been trying to ring you."

"Oh." He looked at Maddie. "They want to come to the wedding, right?"

"Yeah, desperately," she replied. "They sent you a letter."

"Right. I threw that out." Buck turned to Charlotte again, scrunching his face up. "You are so cute! The cutest!"

She giggled at him in that happy baby way of hers, and Eddie leaned against the doorframe, fighting off the sudden urge to have as many children with Buck as he possibly could. "Babe, maybe you should talk to them."

"Nope, I'm good." Buck blew a raspberry at Charlotte.

Maddie met Eddie's eyes, lifting her shoulders slightly. He shrugged at her as well, and went back into the kitchen, where Chimney was standing over a roast chicken with a butcher's knife in his hand and a puzzled look on his face.

"Do you want me to ask Buck to cut the chook?" Eddie asked him, folding his arms across his chest. "He loves cutting things up. He says we're having a big Thanksgiving this year and he's going to cook a turkey."

"I can do this one thing," Chimney replied. "I got this. Just because Buck is apparently a prodigy in the kitchen doesn't mean that I don't have skills too. I've been working with Bobby longer; I've learned a trick or two. You watch. What'd he say about his parents?"

"He blocked them."

"I'm worried, man. If he doesn't talk to them, they might just show up. You know they'll figure out when and where it's happening. They were already talking about coming out here for his birthday."

Eddie stiffened. "Listen to me, Chim – I am in charge of Buck's birthday. I have it all planned out and he has no idea, so if any Buckley's turn up that _aren't_ Maddie, I will not be nice about it. And you know I'm a nice guy, but I'll murder them all."

"Oh yeah I believe that," Chimney replied with a grin. "You didn't even throw a punch at Kyle – now that was disappointing, Eddie."

"He wasn't worth it. What happened to him, anyway? I've been meaning to ask Athena."

"He's currently in prison and Maddie's mom told her that his parents will be putting him into some isolated rehab facility in Arizona or something," Chimney said dryly, finally beginning to carve the chicken. "From there, who knows? Did you know when he robbed that gas station, he left his rehab ID on the counter and looked directly into the camera? Athena was already on her way to the station when he tried to feel you up."

The baby shrieked from the other room, and Eddie heard Buck say, "Um, Maddie, I made her mad."

"She does that," Chimney murmured. "She'll play for a while and then when she's had enough, she lets you know. Grab the wine out of the fridge, would you?"

~~

"Here's the thing," Maddie said, cutting Buck a slice of chocolate cake. "Mom and Dad realised how terribly they embarrassed themselves in front of Eddie's parents."

Buck exchanged a look with Eddie, who rolled his eyes.

"And I know they sent you a letter and a cheque, and I also know you presented the cheque—"

"I donated the money."

"Okay, well they know you took it, anyway," she said, "and maybe you shouldn't have. I can't promise they won't just turn up, and if they do, what do you want me to do about it?"

Buck sighed, rubbing his face with both hands, frustrated. "I should've torn the fucking thing up."

"Maybe we just hire security for the wedding," Chimney suggested, "to keep all the Buckley's out."

"That's overkill," Eddie said. "And I know none of you have forgiven me about the Kyle thing—"

They all groaned, and he held his hands up, trying to cut them off. "But what if we talk to your parents again? Just you and me, Buck, and… maybe…"

"You know as well as I do that cheque was to buy entrance to our wedding," Buck said bluntly, "and that they're incapable of behaving themselves. You've seen my mother when she's drunk. You know they're both on the Trump train. Do you think anyone in our lives wants two drunk Republicans there spouting off about Trump and Fox News? Bitching about the fact that Biden is now president? What if the celebrant asks if anyone wants to object, and they do? What then?"

"We've also got my parents to worry about with that," Eddie pointed out.

"We should've just eloped." Buck stabbed the piece of cake with his fork, a dark look on his face. "Maddie, I don't want them to come. I'll pay them back the money if that's what they want."

"You need to tell them," she said gently. "You have to take their call and tell them. I can't be the one to constantly run interference."

He nodded, eyes trained on the table, and felt Eddie take his hand and squeeze it. "Yep. Okay. I'll talk to them."

"I'd really like it if everyone's parents just calmed the fuck down," Chimney remarked, "because these two are going to get married no matter what."

Buck glanced at Eddie, who smiled at him. "Yeah, we are," he said. "Not long to go now."

"Is Christopher excited about Hawaii?" Maddie asked. "I can't believe you guys are taking him with you on your honeymoon."

"It wasn't a question, we were always going to bring him along," Eddie replied. "Buck's booked a place in Waikiki with two bedrooms, and then when we're on the ship we have adjoining rooms – is that right, babe?"

"Yep. Christopher will have his own room, right next to ours, with an internal door."

"Going on a cruise," Chimney said with a laugh. "I wouldn't have picked it."

"Either would I," Eddie murmured, nudging Buck with his elbow.

"Okay, you judge," Buck said, "but I got a _great_ deal on the cruise. It's seven nights. It means we don't have to unpack. We are in a new port every single day. I've booked us a car on Maui for both days. We're doing a cruise past the NaPali Coast, which we wouldn't get to see if we weren't on the ship. So yeah, it's a cruise, but it's a convenient way of seeing a lot in the short amount of time we're there, _Edmundo._ "

"You'll probably love it," Chimney said to Eddie, who grinned. "You two will end up cruising all over the world."

"There are worse things. Honestly, I think Chris will love it the most." Buck glanced at Eddie and said, "I booked something that is going to blow his mind."

"Oh god. What now?"

"We're doing a movie tour where they filmed Jurassic Park." Buck bounced in his seat excitedly. "We're doing a movie tour in the morning and then an ATV tour in the afternoon."

Eddie's eyebrows flew up. "That sounds _great._ "

"Yeah man! I've got it all worked out."

~

Buck unblocked his parents, and foolishly thought it would take a few days for them to actually try to contact him, but sure enough, the next morning while he and Eddie were in the gym at work, their number flashed on the screen. He held the phone up so Eddie could see, raising his eyebrows, and answered the call. "Hello?"

"Evan. I wasn't expecting you to answer," his mother said. "Hold on. I'll need to put you on speaker so your father can hear."

He gestured for Eddie to stop beating the crap out of the boxing bag, and then put the phone on speaker as well. They were alone in the general area, for the most part, and sat on the bench together to listen to the call.

"Are you there?" Patricia asked.

"Eddie and I are both here," Buck replied. "Maddie told me you've been trying to reach me."

"Yes, we noticed you cashed the cheque," Roger said bluntly.

"I donated the money in your names."

"To what?"

"The fire-fighter's foundation and a charity for disadvantaged children here in Los Angeles. Half and half."

"We sent you that money for your wedding," Patricia said unhappily. "And we expected an invitation."

"I thought I made it pretty clear in December that our relationship is finished," Buck replied, glancing at Eddie, who was worrying away at his lower lip with his teeth. "That you wouldn't be invited to the wedding."

"We understand what we did was wrong," Patricia said, "which is why we sent you the letter and asked for your forgiveness."

"And my silence meant that you aren't forgiven for trying to bribe me into breaking up with my fiancé."

"Evan, you have to understand where we were coming from," Roger replied. "To find out you were in a serious relationship with a man on television was shocking. When we met Eddie earlier last year, you made no mention of the fact that you were together."

"Yeah," Buck said, "because you wouldn't have approved, like you haven't approved of anything I've ever done in my life."

"That's not true."

He sighed and didn't respond. Eddie leaned over the phone and said, "Mr and Mrs Buckley, I think you both understand that your relationship with Buck at the moment is practically non-existent, and it shouldn’t have been a surprise that you haven't been invited to our wedding."

"Eddie, you're a reasonable fellow," Roger said, and Eddie made a face at Buck. "Surely you see our point of view."

"Mr Buckley, I distinctly remember you handing my future husband a cheque to bribe him into dumping me, so no, I don't really understand. It's coming from an unbelievably arrogant sense of entitlement, and neither of us wants you at our wedding."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line, and then Patricia's voice came through again, full of emotion. "Evan, I'm your mother. I should be at your wedding."

"You haven't earned yourself the right," Buck replied quietly.

"We'll be on our best behaviour."

"No. You're not invited. You're not coming. Do not show up; you won't be allowed in. Nobody wants you there."

"But we should apologise to Eddie's parents for our behaviour—"

"Mr Buckley, I can provide you with my parents' phone number and you can speak to them directly, but you're not coming to our wedding," Eddie said firmly. "And that's that."

There was a long silence, until Mr Buckley said, "I can't believe you're going to punish us, Evan. What if you have children? We want the opportunity to be grandparents."

Buck gave Eddie a quizzical look. "You never wanted to be a parent to _me_ ," he said bluntly. "So why would you think you've earned yourself the right to be grandparents to my kids?"

"Evan, that's totally uncalled for!" Mrs Buckley protested.

"No, it's really not. Look, we can keep going around in circles, but at the end of the day, Eddie and I want to make it perfectly clear – you are not invited to the wedding. Do not show up. You won't be allowed in. I don't want to see you. I don't want to talk to you. I don't want you to have anything to do with Eddie or Christopher, or any future children we may have. We're _done._ Cut me out of your Will – I don't care. Don't send messages through Maddie and Chimney. Forget I existed. Forget my name, forget my number – do not try to contact me again." With that, Buck ended the call and blocked them. He let out a frustrated sigh, slumping against the wall. "I mean, I feel like I've made myself pretty clear."

"They're making this about themselves," Eddie murmured.

"That's kind of their deal. I mean, what do we do if they turn up? I just… want to get married to you without my parents having to be an issue. I'm sick of the Buckley side dragging things down."

Eddie chuckled. "Yeah, well, give the Diaz side a chance, would you? Stop hogging the spotlight with your family drama."

"I'm trying," he complained. "Honestly, we should just elope. Let's go to Vegas and elope."

"That's your answer for everything."

Buck kissed him on the cheek and stood up, stretching his arms over his head, rolling his shoulders. "I'm going to take a shower," he said.

Eddie nodded, still seated on the bench. "Maybe we could ask my cousin to keep an eye out for them at the wedding," he suggested.

"Miguel?"

"Yeah. I mean, he looks the part, doesn't he?"

Miguel was about six-foot-five, covered in tattoos, and the last time Buck had seen him, his hair had been shaved into a mohawk. He was a software designer – the toughest-looking software designer Buck had ever met in his life, not that he'd met many. Miguel was Eddie's favourite cousin, and one of the only second or third cousins to receive an invite to the wedding.

"As long as he's cool with it," Buck replied. "He's a guest; I don't want him thinking he needs to do anything other than have a good time. But you know, if my parents see him…"

"They'll run," Eddie finished, grinning up at him. "I'll ask him."

Buck bent over to kiss him again, and then went into the showers to cool off. All he wanted was for the wedding to go off without a hitch. His parents had an agenda, of that he was sure, but he wasn't interested in what it was. They certainly weren't wanting to rebuild their relationship or be there to support him.

He was rinsing shampoo from his hair when he heard the curtain open; and warm arms slipped around his waist. Eddie kissed his broad shoulders, turning him around, tilting his head up so their lips could meet.

Buck held him close, all worries vanishing. Their parents weren't the point – they never had been. They were just background noise. All he'd ever wanted was right there in his arms.

~~

"Okay," Eddie said to Christopher, kneeling in front of him. "Are you pumped? Are you ready to have your mind blown? Are you ready to eat way too much and probably puke everywhere?"

Christopher was laughing, nodding enthusiastically.

It was 7.30am, and they were ready to head over to Universal Studios. Christopher was wearing a _Jurassic Park_ t-shirt that Buck had bought for him. Eddie tucked a cap onto his head and stood, picking up his backpack. "Buck, you ready?" he called, following Christopher out to the living room.

"Yep," Buck replied, bounding out from the bedroom, a streak of sunscreen on his cheek. Eddie tapped his own cheek and Buck quickly wiped away the excess, flashing him a grin. "Sun safety," he said, raising his eyebrows at Christopher. "You and I are burn way too easily, bud. Hey – is someone else coming? Whose car is that?" he asked, peering out the window to the street.

Eddie turned, following his gaze, and watched with horror as his parents climbed out. "It's my parents," he said. "What the hell are they doing here?"

"Did you invite them?"

"No, I told them we were going but that it was just us three."

They were walking up the path to the house, carrying two bags of presents. Eddie left Buck and Christopher and hurried out to intercept them before Christopher could see the bags.

"Morning Eddie," his mother said with a bright smile. "We thought we'd surprise you and come along. Where's the birthday boy?"

He closed the door, shaking his head at them. "I told you it was just us – why are you here?"

Ramon stopped in his tracks, looking surprised. "We've flown all the way from El Paso for Christopher's birthday."

"I told you he didn't want a party or anything other than what we're doing," he replied. "We're about to leave."

His parents shared an incredulous look. "Eddie, we're here for his birthday," his mother said sharply. "You don't get to dictate how we celebrate special days."

"I'm not dictating. I told you what _he_ wanted," Eddie replied firmly. "This is what he asked for. This is what we planned to do. I explained it to you over the phone."

"And what, the next time we see each other is at your wedding, and we don't get to spend any time with him for his special day? He only turns ten once," Ramon complained.

"You'll see us for the whole week before the wedding, and you're seeing him tomorrow at Abuela's," he pointed out.

"We didn't get to come for your birthday…"

He sighed. "I'm a grown man. Buck had my birthday all planned out. Seriously, Mom, Dad… I'm not trying to be a dick, but I was really clear on the phone! You can't just decide that you don't like what I've told you and steamroll everything."

"We thought you'd be happy to see us," Helena murmured, wasting no time in trying to make him feel guilty. "We'll all have a nice day together."

Eddie sighed irritably. "No," he said flatly. "You're not invited."

"Edmundo!"

"I'm not putting him in the middle of this. He told me what he wanted, I told you what we were doing, and you've ignored that, so you have to leave. I'm sorry. He's my kid, it's his birthday and this is what he wants. You can see him tomorrow at Abuela's with everyone else, but today is for him. Please leave."

"Eddie!" Ramon snapped. "Apologise!"

"No," he replied with a shrug. "No. You're not dictating my life anymore. If this is what it takes for me to get through to you, then so be it. Leave. Please leave."

"Do you have any idea how expensive today is going to be?" Helena asked, switching to a new tactic. "You've got a wedding to pay for. How can you possibly afford this?"

"We've got money. Please go. Seriously, go," he said, blocking the front door. "We'll see you tomorrow."

"We don't even get to wish him a happy birthday?" she pleaded.

"Nope, because you'll ask him if you can come along and he'll feel guilty and say yes. No, you're leaving. Go." He folded his arms across his chest, blocking the door with his body, and watched them have a silent conversation before turning away.

"This isn't how a son should treat his parents," he heard Ramon say.

Eddie couldn't help but call, "This is your own fault, and I'm not sorry. I'll see you tomorrow."

Helena cast him a filthy look. They put the bags back into their car, and he waited until they'd driven away, before stepping back inside the house.

Buck had Christopher in a pair of headphones, watching a YouTube video on Eddie's iPad. Eddie shot him a grateful look, leaning against the door, trying to quash the guilt rising in his stomach.

Buck gave him a thumbs up, and he nodded. "Okay, let's go."

~

The day flew by. They visited the most important attractions first – the _Jurassic World_ ride and the DinoPlay area, followed by _King Kong_ , and even though Christopher had only the vaguest idea of who or what King Kong was, he enjoyed the hell out of it.

They did the studio tour before lunch, which was the only thing Buck and Eddie wanted to do for themselves. Christopher wasn't into it at first, but quickly changed his mind, and at the end asked if they could do it again.

From there it was over to the _Despicable Me_ ride and the Super Silly Fun Land. Eddie was bored out of his brain and let Buck take control there, more interested in trying to take the perfect family photos with his new camera.

By the early afternoon Christopher was tired, so Buck carried him around on his back as they wandered through the shops. They'd agreed on a $150 limit on _stuff_ , but blew right past that. Eddie was having a hard time saying no to both Buck and Christopher, and he figured one day of splurging on his kid's 10th birthday wouldn't turn him into a spoiled brat.

Christopher spotted the LardLad Donuts near the _Simpsons_ ride, but Eddie almost immediately regretted going inside when he realised they had giant donuts, and that Buck was already buying one, Christopher encouraging him shamelessly.

"For later," Eddie said as they left the shop, snatching the box out of Buck's hands. "Both of you have eaten way too much today."

Buck shared a quick look with Christopher, both shaking their heads, so Eddie added, "You both had a milkshake, you've had ice cream, you had donuts from that other place before, then we had lunch, after lunch you had a pretzel—"

"Okay don't throw my day of poor eating right back in my face, Edmundo," Buck replied. "You had cotton candy. I didn't have that."

"You ate half of Christopher's." Eddie carefully put the donut box in his backpack and checked his watch. "What's next?"

"Well, we walked right past that baseball shop, and both Christopher and I noticed the longing expression on your face," Buck said with a grin. "How about we go back, and you buy yourself something nice?"

"It's not my birthday."

"I give you permission!" Christopher exclaimed.

"And I want to go to the joke shop," Buck added.

Eddie shook his head. "Convenient how they're right near each other."

"Yeah, super convenient. Let's go!"

~

It was almost 8pm by the time they arrived home, and as exhausted as Christopher was, his face lit up when Buck produced a small chocolate cake with a number 10 candle on top. They sang happy birthday to him and cut the cake, but Eddie only gave him the smallest of pieces. When Christopher complained, he asked, "How much sugar did you eat today?"

Thankfully, he hadn't eaten enough sugar not to go to sleep, and he passed out before Eddie had even finished a chapter of his book. He tucked him in and kissed him on the forehead, and then wandered out to the kitchen. Buck was waiting for him, and as soon as Eddie entered the room, he held out the giant doughnut and said, "A little more sugar today won't kill us. Let's split it."

"It's massive," Eddie said, but on tasting it he decided that it wasn't too big at all, and he and Buck shared it, curled up on the couch together.

The following morning, they headed over to Abuela's for Christopher's family birthday party, and it was there that Eddie and Buck arrived to an icy reception from his parents, who fawned over Christopher and almost completely ignored them. Ramon wouldn't even shake Buck's hand, pointedly turning away, ignoring the look of admonishment from Aunt Pepa.

Hurt, Buck followed Abuela into the kitchen to make himself scarce, and Eddie saw her comforting him in a low voice, holding his hands.

When the rest of the family arrived, and Christopher was distracted with his cousins, Eddie called his parents into the spare bedroom and went to shut the door, but Buck pushed it open and followed him in, a determined look on his face. Relieved to have Buck beside him, he squared his shoulders and faced his mother and father.

Before he could speak, Ramon said, "We're very upset at the way you spoke to us yesterday."

Eddie nodded silently.

"It was incredibly rude. You had no right to turn us away. We'd like an apology."

He glanced at Buck, who had his arms folded over his chest, and said, "I'm not apologising. I told you on the phone that yesterday was for _my_ family."

"We're your family."

"Buck and Christopher are my family, you are my extended family and when I want to invite you to something, I will. I don't appreciate you unilaterally inviting yourselves along. This was a day just for us. I explained that on the phone – that it was what Christopher wanted to do for his birthday. If he'd wanted to include you, I would've asked you to come along."

"He didn't know that we wanted to come," Helena said sharply. "If he'd known, he would've wanted us there."

"No, he would've felt guilty and asked you along even though that wasn't what he wanted," Eddie replied. "He told us very clearly what he wanted, and I'm not going to be the kind of parent who just ignores a request from my kid to make someone else happy."

"You're spoiling him," Ramon muttered.

"He's not," Buck said, but they ignored him.

"It was his birthday," Eddie said flatly.

"And you spend birthdays with family!" Helena said tearfully.

He sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "He was with family," he said evenly, and gestured to Buck. "His fathers."

Ramon's lips tightened. "Listen, we've gone along with this, and we're going along with the wedding, but for a stranger to adopt Christopher – Eddie, we won't stand for it. We can't let you do it."

Buck thankfully had no outward reaction, but Eddie's blood began to boil. "A stranger," he said, raising his eyebrows. "This man, right here? Evan Buckley? My fiancé? The man who has been a steady presence in Christopher's life for over three years? Who lives with us, in our house? Who is his father in every single way but by law or blood? Wow. So you're cool with me _marrying_ a stranger, but Christopher is the issue."

His parents were silent, though Eddie noticed Helena's eyes flick to Buck guiltily.

"Let me tell you something," he said quietly. "Buck is Christopher's dad. We're just making it official. He may not call him that, but that's what he is. In a little over a month he's going to be my husband. You said you were on board with this. You approved. What the fuck has changed?"

Ramon flinched. "Language."

"Nope, I'm a grown man. What the fuck has changed?"

Helena said delicately, "We just feel that maybe… you settled for your best friend instead of putting yourself out there. Meeting a nice Latina woman."

Eddie rested his hands on his hips and said calmly, "Mom, Dad – I'm gay. I'm in love with a man. I'm getting married to a man. There was never going to be a nice Latina woman because I've been in love with Buck almost since the day I met him. I hid my sexuality because I knew you'd never approve; I married Shannon because I loved her as a person. But I'm living my truth now. I'm gay. Buck's going to be my husband. You either approve, and you stay in our lives, or you don't, and this is it."

"You're giving us an ultimatum, just asking us to accept the fact that you're gay?" Ramon demanded. "You've never told us this before!"

"I'm telling you now."

They had a silent conversation. Ramon finally shook his head, looking over at Buck briefly before murmuring, "I thought you were bisexual."

"No. You were on board with this in December. Why are you suddenly freaking out now? Is it because the wedding is nearly here and maybe you thought it wouldn't happen?"

Helena frowned, and murmured, "We thought maybe you'd… have a change of heart. Come to your senses."

Eddie took Buck's left hand and held it up, pointing to his engagement ring. "I proposed. I asked him out. I asked him to move in. That was all me. I'm in love with him, and we're getting married next month."

Ramon sighed. "Eddie…"

"No," he cut in. "Mom, Dad… I love you, but I choose him. I want you to be in our lives – in Christopher's life – but I can't keep having this same conversation with you. It's too much," he said helplessly. "I know I'm a disappointment to you, but… that's not my fault. That's your shit, not mine. I'm doing things right this time – I'm not letting you dictate anything and interfere in my marriage."

"We didn't interfere the first time!" Helena protested.

"You did, and the fact that you don't even know you did makes me think you're going to do it again." He put his hands on his hips, glaring at them. "Listen - it's a privilege to be a parent and a grandparent, not a right. You have no rights over my family, and I won't hesitate to cut contact to protect them. Christopher and Buck are my priorities now. So you choose – you're in or you're out, once and for all, and we never have this conversation again."

His parents exchanged another look. Buck said quietly, "We really want you at our wedding… and Christopher will want you in his life. I'm a good guy, and I'd do anything for them. I think you know that."

Helena relaxed a bit, nodding. "I know," she said, swallowing hard. "It's just a lot. Eddie, give us a little time, and we'll talk again before the wedding… and if you don't want us there, we'll leave. But just give us a little time."

"Okay," he agreed, taking Buck's hand again. "I hope you can see where I'm coming from."

~

He had little to no faith that they would. When Christopher came to him in the early afternoon, tired and cranky after a big weekend, he told his family a white lie, said Christopher wasn't feeling well, and took the opportunity to leave. As soon as they arrived home Christopher crashed out on the couch, asleep, his hands tucked underneath himself, and Eddie followed Buck into the kitchen to unload the bag of food Aunt Pepa had forced on him as they left.

"I was too hard on them," he said quietly, unpacking Tupperware containers. "I should've… reacted differently."

"You said you told them on the phone. They didn't listen. You don't have to make allowances for other people. Like you said, they don't get to dictate your life." Buck opened one of the Tupperware containers and extracted a brownie. "Your aunt knows what I like."

"She's just trying to fatten you up," Eddie replied, giving him a tap on the butt. "Anyway, my parents are causing trouble, your parents are causing trouble… let's get them together in a room somewhere and just let them fight it out."

Buck grinned at him. "That's gonna end well. I tell you what though, my favourite part of that conversation today was the implication that they accepted me because they thought we were going to break up before the wedding. Nice. Real nice."

"I've been telling you that I don't trust them; I don't know why you guys don't listen to me. I'm always right." Eddie ducked Buck's swipe, dancing away from him. "I'm going to call Adriana and Sophia and just to say, 'I told you so.'"

"I still think they'll come around, but I'm starting to worry that maybe the Diaz family _is_ immune to my charms," Buck murmured, flipping through his cookbook. "What do you want for dinner? I feel like… I don't know. Something healthy, after all the junk I've eaten this weekend."

"Whatever you want, baby." Eddie sidled up to him for a kiss, and then whispered in his ear, "Wait until next weekend."

"Can you give me one hint?" he asked hopefully. "I don't want to know the surprise, but just… a little hint."

Eddie leaned against the counter with his head tilted thoughtfully. "Okay. Your surprise is not in Los Angeles – and, for a bonus hint, Christopher is staying with Aunt Pepa for two nights."

Buck looked confused. "I'm working Friday. Aren't I?"

"I don't know. Are you?"

"Eddie…"

Eddie shrugged. "I don't know. That's it! No more hints."

Buck gave him a disappointed look, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Okay, if you're playing it cool…" with an arch of his eyebrow.

Eddie gave him a kiss, smacked his butt, and headed down to their bedroom to change his clothes, grinning to himself. Buck was going to be _so surprised_. At the start of the year he'd discovered that Paul McCartney would be playing a concert in Las Vegas the weekend of Buck's birthday and impulsively bought two tickets – decent seats, too. He'd booked two nights for them to stay at The Mirage, purchased tickets for Cirque de Soleil's _Love_ , based on the music of The Beatles, and had the flights booked as well. He'd even arranged for Chimney and Maddie to take Buck out of the house the night before so he could pack their bags for them.

He was gleeful about it. Buck was going to be _so surprised._

~~


	2. Chapter 2

The rain set in on Sunday night and carried over to Monday, blanketing the city in ominous dark clouds. They were run off their feet at work, spending hardly any downtime at the station at all – Los Angeles drivers, unaccustomed to driving in the rain, were causing accidents all over the city.

Steady rain continued through to Wednesday, and Buck and Eddie had only just changed into their uniforms when the alarms began to sound, and they hopped into the truck. They headed out to the hills, where spotters had reported a landslip in the vicinity of Runyon Canyon. The slip had washed away part of the walking track, and there were reports that joggers were caught up in the landslide.

Buck and Eddie grabbed their rappelling gear out of the truck and followed the rest of the team on foot through the winding walking tracks. Rain beat down steadily, soaking through their clothes.

Bobby led them through a radio check as they approached the site of the landslide, where Athena was standing with a group of concerned onlookers. The landslide itself wasn't _huge_ , but trees had been uprooted and the walking track had been washed away. Water poured steadily down the hill.

Bobby ordered the crowds to move back, fearing another collapse, and Athena joined their huddle. "They think at least three people were caught up in the landslide," she said, raising her voice over the sound of the rain. "A couple and their dog, and another jogger. There have been no signs of life since I arrived here, and the trail is cut – the people on the other side are going to need to be airlifted out."

Bobby nodded, leaning over the edge to peer down into the abyss. Buck exchanged a glance with Eddie, and they both turned to look up at the mountain.

"I can't ask you to go down," Bobby said finally, turning to them. "This whole area is unstable. You two will be putting yourselves at a huge risk."

They put themselves at risk every day. Buck knelt near the edge, training his flashlight over the side, trying to see if there were any signs of life. Almost instantly he heard a woman scream, "Help! Help, please!"

Well, that settled it. He stood, wiping his hands, having a silent conversation with Eddie. "We'll have to go," Eddie said finally. "We can't leave them down there. If you get a chopper in, we can work from the ground to secure the victims in the basket. We'll need Chim and Hen to run the winch."

"Listen, if this mountain starts to crumble again, you two leave the wounded behind and get yourselves out," Bobby said, grasping Eddie's shoulder with one hand and Buck's shoulder with the other. "You're getting married in a month. You have a kid. We'll stay in radio contact with you. Once you're on the ground, release the lines, do a search and let us know what you find."

They nodded and began to pull on their gear. Eddie handed Buck his helmet and he secured it, checking to make sure his radio was working and that his ropes were secure.

With everything checked and triple-checked, they began to rappel down the side of the mountain, about 100 feet away from the actual site of the collapse. Progress was slow, the lines slippery – everything was soaking wet, and water poured steadily around them.

Buck paused to adjust his lines, and Eddie said from above him, "How's it looking?"

"Another twenty feet to go. You okay?"

"Yep. Let's keep moving."

They reached the sodden, muddy ground, and released the ropes. Eddie called through to the team on the radio and they began to pick their way over to the landslide debris, calling out as they went.

"Anyone there?" Buck shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "LAFD!"

There was no response. They exchanged a worried look, and Eddie called again. "Can anyone hear me?"

"Yes, yes," a woman's hoarse voice echoed in the dim light. "Help me, please."

Eddie held up his torch, illuminating the debris. A large boulder seemed to have slid part of the way down the mountain, taking with it trees, smaller rocks and mud. They veered off – Buck headed towards the mountain and Eddie away, where the trail of debris seemed to end. Buck was the one who discovered the first body – a man, face-down in the mud, pinned under a large tree.

"Eddie," he called. "I found the first one."

"Vitals?"

He didn't really need to check the vitals to know the man was dead – he'd been crushed, but he still carefully pressed his fingers to his neck, feeling around. "No, nothing. No pulse. He's gone; there's nothing we can do. I'll tag him and keep going."

"Yep." Eddie started a little further away from him. "Ma'am, can you see my light? Can you talk?"

Buck stood, listening for her reply, but there was no answer. The steady stream of rain began to pick up, faster and harder, soaking him through to the skin. His radio crackled, and Bobby's voice came through. "Give me an update, guys."

Buck radioed back. "We've found one victim, deceased. We're still searching for the woman we heard calling for help. Will radio you back when we find her."

"Copy that, over."

He picked his way over fallen trees and logs, and then found the dog – what was left of the dog. He flagged that as well, glancing up at the mountain apprehensively. "Eds?"

"Yeah, I'm here," came Eddie's reply, and Buck could see his flashlight moving around.

"We need to be quick; there's a ton of water coming off the hill now. I've found the dog; haven't located anyone else yet."

"Yeah, me either." Eddie began to call for the woman again. "Hello, can you hear me?"

Buck searched the debris with his flashlight, and thought he saw an odd shape amongst the branches and rocks. Sure enough, when he moved closer, he realised it was an outstretched hand. "Eddie! I'm gonna need your help; I've found someone else."

"Coming," Eddie replied, making his way towards Buck carefully.

Buck took the hand in his and squeezed, hoping for some sign of life. The person was buried under mud and branches, and he began to dig by hand, as Eddie joined him.

"Hey, this isn't good," Eddie said to him breathlessly. "There's going to be another slip."

"Yeah, I know," he replied, digging as quickly as he could. "No sign of the woman?"

"No, and I think this is a man."

They finally unearthed the body – a man, deceased, covered in mud. Eddie checked his pulse in vain and shook his head. He radioed Bobby and relayed the news, and then sat back on his knees, gazing at Buck.

"We've got to make a decision," he said in a low voice. "I've done a sweep that way and I can't see her. If we keep going this way and there's another landslide, we're going to be cut off from our gear. I have no idea where she is. I'm not saying we give up, but… I also don't want us to die."

Buck looked up at the mountain again. "Let's radio Bobby," he suggested. "Let him make the call. Find out how stable things are up there."

"Okay," Eddie agreed, trying his radio again. "Cap, do you come in?"

There was no response.

"Cap," he tried again. "Bobby. Do you copy?"

When there was no answer again, he shook his head at Buck, who gave it a try. "Cap, come in," Buck said into his radio. "Cap. Do you copy?"

A garbled response came through, almost impossible to hear. Eddie grimaced. "Are we out of range?"

"We shouldn't be." Buck was about to call again when there was a distinct rumbling from above them. "Shit. Eddie, we gotta go."

Eddie grabbed him by the arm and pulled him up. They were too far from the gear to head back towards it, so they made their way through the debris and started sprinting through the trees, heading away from the hillside. A thunderous noise echoed throughout the valley and the ground shook beneath their feet, but they kept running as fast as they could, hanging onto each other.

**~*~*~*~**

**Hen**

The second, larger landslide happened almost in slow motion.

Bobby had been trying unsuccessfully to radio Buck and Eddie for almost five minutes, watching as trees slowly tipped, and smaller rocks tumbled down the side of the hill. They even tried shouting over the side of the cliff – Hen could see flashlights below, _knew_ they were both down there, but they had no way of contacting them.

And then suddenly, the hill simply slipped away. They were almost caught up in it themselves, and had to run to safety, jogging along the muddy track as trees and rocks slid down into the valley below. She was the first to stop, doubled over, trying to catch her breath, and turned around to find that the track where they'd been standing not ten minutes earlier had disappeared into the valley below.

"Oh god," Chimney gasped, distraught, his hands to his head. "They got out, right? They had enough time, do you think?"

Hen had absolutely no idea. Their flashlights had been right at the bottom when the mountain began to slide – she'd seen them with her own eyes. Would they have had enough time? She met Chimney's eyes and found them full of anguish, and then turned to find Bobby with a stricken expression on his face, barely able to speak.

"Um…" he said, blinking rapidly. "Okay. We need to find out if they're alive or hurt – so… we need a chopper. Let's call in a chopper. Is there any way we can drive to the bottom of the valley?"

"There's a dirt road," Athena replied, on the verge of tears herself. "We'll need a truck to get down there, something that can handle a bit of mud without getting stuck."

"The pick-up truck is here, we'll take that," Bobby said decisively. "Let's get these people out of here and to safety, and then we'll try to make our way down to the bottom to find them."

 _'What if they're dead?'_ she thought as they walked back along the track to the parking area. She was terrified for them, trying to quell the rising fear and panic with reassuring thoughts – they knew the risks, they would've been keeping tabs on the mountain and maybe they did have enough time to run. Maybe. Possibly?

She _hoped._

**~*~*~*~**

"Stop, stop," Buck said breathlessly, clutching Eddie's arm. "My leg's cramped."

They were in the middle of the trees, well away from the mountain and out of danger, though the valley itself was no picnic – the ground was sodden, and in some places they were almost up to their knees in muddy water. They needed to find some higher ground to figure out an escape, and that meant they had to keep moving.

Eddie took a moment to breathe, still holding onto Buck, unwilling to let go for even a second. Buck doubled over, his expression pained, trying to stretch out his bad leg. "I'll carry you," Eddie offered.

Buck let out a tired laugh. "I'm too heavy for you. Just give me a sec; it's the mud. I can't plant my feet properly."

Eddie pulled his helmet and goggles off. He tossed the helmet aside but pocketed the goggles, and then tried the radio again. "Cap, come in. Do you copy? Cap." There was no response, not even any static. Eddie gave a frustrated sigh, searching his pockets for his phone. "Babe, did you bring your phone? Do you have any bars?" He held his iPhone up to the sky, hoping desperately for a bar or two, but there was no signal.

Buck did the same, shaking his head. "Nothing."

"Fuck." Eddie shoved his phone back into his pocket and checked his watch. "Okay. We need to get the fuck out of here, to higher ground at least. This rain's not stopping. How far do you think it is back to the parking area?"

"I've only run these trails a couple of times. I'm not that familiar with them," Buck replied, stretching his leg out in front, flexing his foot. "It's a big hike. We can do it, but I'd suggest we head north and then try to come back towards the hill – I'm sure there's a dirt road at the bottom down here, somewhere."

"Let's find that," Eddie decided. "You okay, baby? We can go a bit slower now."

"I'm fine. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, fucking freezing," he complained.

"Me too." Buck removed his helmet and tossed it aside as well. He clasped Eddie's hand and said, "Let's go."

**~*~*~*~**

**Bobby**

"Captain Nash, the road will have been cut," Captain Jackson of the 116 argued with him. "There's no way you'll get your truck down there. That road runs through creeks; there'll be trees down. You'll be stuck within minutes."

"We have to try," Bobby said, not wanting to start a shouting match.

"You can send in the chopper."

"They're unavailable," Chimney spoke up from beside them. "There's a flash flood in Glendale. They're conducting swift-water rescues. I just heard it over the radio." Chimney was as pale and terrified as Bobby had ever seen him, filled with nervous energy.

"Then we have to go in," Bobby said to Captain Jackson, who exhaled, his hands on his hips. "Listen to me – we'd be doing the same thing for two of your men."

"I get it, Nash," Captain Jackson replied sharply. "But at the end of the day we're putting more lives at risk. If they've been caught up in the landslide, there's nothing we can do. The rain's forecast to last until the end of the week."

"Then I'll go in by chopper!" Chimney shouted over the sound of the pouring rain. "Lower me in and I'll look for them myself. Those are my brothers down there!" His voice cracked, full of emotion. "Please, Cap. I'll go in. I'll take the truck by myself, just let me go look for them."

Bobby held up his hands. "Listen up," he announced to the group surrounding them. "We're going to try to take the road to the bottom of the valley – we're taking two pick-up trucks, both with winches. Buck knows there's a road. That's where we're going to find them if they've made it out, so we need to go look. And I don't really care what you think," he said in a lower voice to Captain Jackson. "If they were your men, we'd be doing the same thing. We need to do this today before the road washes out even more, so let's go."

**~*~*~*~**

"Uh, yeah," Buck said, stopping to catch his breath, taking in the rapidly flowing creek in front of them. "Okay. Thoughts?"

"We're fucked," Eddie said bluntly, perching on a rock, wiping water from his face. "I'm freezing."

"Yeah, so am I." Buck stepped over to him, between his legs, and wrapped his arms around him. Eddie pressed his face against Buck's chest and hugged him tightly. "I can't wait to go home."

"I'm going to have the world's longest hot shower; you'll have to drag me out." Eddie's voice was muffled. "Seriously, fuck this."

"Yeah, this fucking sucks." Buck kissed the top of his head, as thunder rumbled, and the sky flashed with lightning. "For fuck's sake."

"What a joke. Seriously, Buck, we better not die down here. I've got shit planned for this weekend."

Buck laughed. "Non-refundable deposits?"

"Yes."

"Care to tell me where we're going? Might give me the boost I need to keep going."

Eddie laughed. "Look, if things get really dire, maybe." He tilted his head up and Buck kissed him firmly. Thunder rumbled overhead again, but he ignored it, trying to warm himself up by hanging onto Buck as tightly as he could.

Buck pressed his forehead to Eddie's, their lips so close they were sharing breaths. "Did I tell you today how much I love you?"

"You can tell me now."

"God, I woke up this morning, and you were still asleep… sometimes I watch you," he confessed, and Eddie grinned. "Sometimes you sleep talk."

"You do too. The other night you were complaining about fondant in your sleep."

"I really hate it."

"Yeah, I know, maybe stop watching _Nailed It_ right before you go to sleep."

Buck pulled away and said, "But that guy put _chocolate chips_ in the microwave to melt instead of _chocolate melts_ – they're two different things! Chocolate chips don't melt like that!"

Eddie couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head affectionately at him. "I know. You ranted about it when you were watching it."

"Baking's not hard, the recipe is right there in front of them," Buck grumbled, taking in their surroundings again. "All right. We've got to get to that road, right?"

"Right."

"And we still have no bars."

"Right."

"And we're not crossing this," he said, gesturing to the creek, "because we don't know what the fuck is in it, how fast it's flowing and the last thing either one of us is doing today is drowning in a fucking creek."

"Exactly."

"So we're going to adjust our direction slightly, head away from the creek and back towards the hills, and then tonight, Eds, after we have the world's hottest shower, we're heating up some chocolate chip cookies and eating them with milk, because that's literally the only thing I want right now. Let's go."

**~*~*~*~**

**Chimney**

Well, Captain Jackson wasn't wrong – the road down into the canyon was an absolute nightmare. They bogged several times over the course of two hours and had to dig the truck free before continuing. He had no real idea how they were going to get back, but he was fucking determined to rescue Buck and Eddie, and so he drove, his whole body clenched with fear.

He'd lost one brother to this job, and he wouldn't lose anyone else. He was marrying – eventually – Buck's sister. He was Buck's brother in every single way aside from legally or by blood (and by extension, Eddie's as well), and he was going to bring them both back.

"Chim," Hen said from the backseat. "Maybe let Bobby drive the next bit. You should take a break."

He shook his head. No breaks until he was sure they were alive. No breaks until Buck was giving him a dopey smile and teasing him again.

If he had to dig them out of the mud with his bare hands, he would. They had to live.

**~*~*~*~**

Buck looked at the smallish boulder in front of them and said, "Give me a boost."

Eddie sighed, his hands on his hips. "You're going to climb it."

"If you give me a boost, I'll get up there."

"How about I get up there," he suggested, "because I'm not the one who got crushed under a ladder truck."

"Oh, all right, Mr-my-leg-still-works-good-Diaz," Buck retorted. "Get up there then."

Eddie flashed him a tired grin, leaning against the rock. "It's getting late."

"Yeah, it is, so you need to get up there. Hopefully, we're not too far from the road."

He nodded, and then said, "We may not survive a night out here, you know. We'll have to try to find shelter somewhere – if we can't find this road, we're going to need to think about what we do next."

"We're giving up?"

"No, but… it's pouring with rain. The temperature is going to drop. We're both shivering. We haven't eaten or drunk anything since this morning and we're both exhausted. Baby, the reality is that if they don't find us within the next couple of hours, we're looking at hypothermia. Or worse." Eddie gave him an exhausted look. "I really don't want to die here."

Buck looked around and said, "We're not going to. They're coming for us – you just need to climb the rock. Here, I'll give you a boost – get up there and tell me what you see, and please god let it be a road or at least some headlights in the distance. And check your phone as well."

He laced his hands together to act as a brace, and Eddie put one foot squarely on his hands, facing the rock wall, and when Buck lifted him up off the ground as high as he could go, he was able to grab a hold on top of the boulder and pull himself up. Buck watched him stand, carefully, and survey their surroundings.

"Hey Buck," he said, and pointed north. "I know I'm exhausted, but I'm pretty sure I can see blue and red flashing lights and headlamps out there. Maybe… a mile away? Less than two miles, heading this direction."

Buck whooped, holding his hands over his head. "Any way we can signal them?"

"I mean, I can flash my light, but…" Eddie trailed off. "They're not moving. Maybe they're stuck? We'll have to go to them. Help me down, babe, and let's go."

**~*~*~*~**

**Athena**

Athena really shouldn't have gone with them in the truck, but there was no way she was going to wait behind and not search for their boys. No way in hell.

She was in the back beside Hen. Both their uniforms were a mess – they'd jumped out multiple times to help dig the truck out of the mud. Chimney was driving, the most serious she'd ever seen him, and Bobby was intermittently calling on his radio, hoping that they might hear him.

She kept replaying the few minutes before the landslide over in her mind. Like Hen, she could see their lights down below, moving around, but at least thirty seconds before the final collapse, both of their lights had moved off together into the trees. She was sure of it – absolutely sure she'd seen them heading away from the hillside, as if they'd known what was coming.

Still, that didn't mean anything. Maybe they hadn't made it far enough away; maybe one of them was hurt – she wasn't sure, and she wouldn't relax until they were found.

"The road is cut up here," Chimney said suddenly. "Water over the road. I'll have to get out and see how deep it is."

Athena peered through the windscreen and blinked disbelievingly. "Guys? You may want to look further up the road."

Buck and Eddie were limping towards them, their arms around each other, waving their flashlights in the air.

Chimney shouted, "Thank fucking _god_ ," parked the car and leapt out into the rain.

**~*~*~*~**

"WHERE THE FUCK HAVE YOU BEEN?" Chimney hollered at them from across the fast-moving channel of water cutting through the road. "Jesus fucking Christ!"

"We're fine," Buck shouted back at him, sharing a relieved grin with Eddie. "Just so you know, we're fine."

Eddie was more tired than he would've liked to admit, and he was sure Buck was, too. They stopped across from the 118 truck, dismayed that their final path to safety was cut.

"Guys," Bobby called, his voice shaking with relief, "We'll throw a line to you and winch you both across. This water is moving too fast for you to swim. We're going to do this quickly, so decide who's coming across first."

Buck gave Eddie a nudge. "Go on," he said. "You first."

Eddie shook his head. "Not this time, sweetheart," he replied, tilting his head up so Buck could kiss him. "You first, baby. You get across and then pull me over."

Buck looked as though he wanted to argue, but he finally acquiesced with a nod and kissed him again. "Don't you dare fucking die," he said in a low voice. "Do not get washed away, because I'll just dive in after you."

"Likewise." Eddie hugged him. "All right, let's get you hooked up."

The channel was about thirty feet across. Chimney wound up the cable and tossed it across. Buck caught it easily, handing it to Eddie, who wound it around his waist and secured it tightly.

"Don't die," he said to Buck, cupping his cheeks. "We're going to Vegas on Friday."

Buck's eyes lit up. "No way."

"Yes, now go." Eddie kissed him again and took a step back.

Buck took a deep breath and began to wade through the water, but soon he was dropping down, almost immediately being pulled downriver. They wound the winch and pulled him across easily, and Bobby and Chimney helped him up over the bank. Chimney wrapped him in a fierce hug, slapping his back, before undoing the line and readying it to throw again.

Buck waved to Eddie, standing near the edge, eyes trained on him anxiously. When Chimney threw the line, he caught it, wrapped it carefully around himself and secured it, before raising his thumb and starting into the water.

He was swept off his feet and went under, but the line around his waist tightened and pulled him swiftly across. He banged his knee on a rock underwater and surfaced, gasping for air, reaching up to grab Bobby and Chimney's hands.

"Hey buddy," Chimney said, pulling him up and out of the water, and in for a hug. "Hey. We did it."

Eddie laughed, patting his back. "Great job," he said, as Buck pulled him away from Chimney and into an embrace. "Yeah, I'm okay," he said, briefly kissing him. "Let's get warmed up."

"You two are going to be the death of all of us," Athena complained. Hen was clearing out the back of the truck, her medical bag on the ground. She wrapped them both in space blankets and forced them into the backseat, where Bobby blasted the heat and leaned in through the front door to speak to them.

"No signs of life?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

Eddie shook his head. "The woman called out to us once while we were down there, but we couldn't find her, and she stopped responding," he replied. "We found the two other male victims and the dog, but not her. I have no idea where she was or what happened. We realised the hill was going to go and got away as fast as we could, but our radios stopped working. Maybe water damage? I don't know."

"Are you two hurt?" Hen asked, checking their temperatures. "We've got to get you warmed up."

"I banged my knee underwater back there but other than that I'm okay," Eddie replied. "Buck's leg has been hurting."

"Bad leg?" Bobby asked with concern.

Buck nodded. "Yeah, but it'll be okay."

"When we get out of this valley, we're taking you to the hospital to get checked out," Bobby replied, "but it's going to be a while. You two stay in the back and warm up. Athena, you ride up front with Chim, and I'll get in the back. Hen, you stay in here with the boys and keep an eye on them. We've got to turn around and get out of here while we still can, so let's move."

~

It took almost three hours to make their way out of the canyon. Eddie fell asleep in Buck's arms, exhausted, though he awoke at one point when they were bogged and heard Hen snap at Buck – "We've got it, stay there, you two need to stay warm."

Buck grumbled a bit, glancing down at Eddie. "Hey," he murmured, brushing his lips against his cheek. "Sleeping beauty. They think we'll be out soon."

"I hope someone has called Carla."

"Athena said she got in touch with her – Christopher is at Abuela's for the night." Buck pulled the foil up around Eddie, kissing his forehead again. "Go back to sleep if you want."

"How are they going?"

"They let me help the first couple of times but when I started shivering Bobby ordered me back in the truck. You've been sleeping. Are you okay?" Buck pulled him close.

"I'm really cold," he admitted. "Still really cold."

"Okay. I'll tell Hen, and we might at least get you out of your wet shirt and wrap a dry, warm blanket around you." Buck kissed him again. "You cuddle up to me and I won't go anywhere."

So he did, wrapping his arms around Buck and tucking in under his chin. When Hen opened the back door, Buck said, "We might need some more blankets; Eddie's still freezing."

"Okay, hang in there, Eddie," she said. "We're through the muck here and we're hoping for a clear run back out. I'll get you another blanket."

He undid his shirt buttons with trembling fingers and peeled the damp fabric off, pulling his undershirt off as well. Buck accepted two dry blankets from Hen and wrapped them both around Eddie, with the space blanket over the top, and then pulled him in close again.

"Not long til that hot shower," he said, his lips on Eddie's forehead.

~~

They finally made their way out of the canyon and transferred into the ambulance, before heading to the nearest hospital. Buck's leg was aching but other than that he was okay, and Eddie had perked up a bit as well. They were given a relatively clean bill of health and returned to the waiting room to greet the team.

"I'll take you guys home," Chimney said, one hand on Buck's shoulder. "You're on my way."

"Don't scare us like that again," Athena warned. "You two are getting married in a month."

"We're sorry," Eddie said, his arm around Buck's waist. "Blame the shitty radios."

"We'll be looking into that. I'll speak with the Chief," Bobby promised. "Chim, take them home."

Buck put Eddie in the front passenger seat and climbed into the back behind him. Chimney drove, swearing at the rain that was still pouring. "I mean, this is unbelievable," he complained. "I've lived here a long time and it's never rained like this before. They think it's going to hang around for another week. And you know the rain makes Maddie miserable."

"God, does it ever," Buck agreed, leaning forward to drape his hands over Eddie's chest. "She hates it."

"I like it," Eddie murmured. "I mean, not when I'm freezing to death at the bottom of a canyon, but still."

"Yeah, that wasn't great today, guys," Chimney said. "You know I don't like to get too emotional about things, but if you two fucking die on me, I'll die as well, find you in the afterlife, and bring you back just so I can beat you both to death again. Got it? If I have to go home and tell your sister that you've died in a horrible landslide at work, _Buckaroo_ , I'm going to hold a séance in a graveyard at midnight, bring your spirit back from the underworld, capture your spirit in one of those Ghostbuster machines, take your spirit home and trap you in a bottle so that Maddie can spend the rest of her life berating you for dying. Understand?"

"Jesus Christ," Buck said in awe. "Okay. Understood. Eddie and I won't die."

"Besides, you'd never find us in the afterlife," Eddie said dryly. "I've got a nice cloud picked out for the two of us, very secluded. VIP. You wouldn't be allowed in."

"You're pissing me off, Diaz."

"Concentrate on the road, Han. Maybe don't kill all of us together, huh? I'd like to see my kid tonight."

~

Christopher had no idea they'd been in any danger – he greeted them happily, let Buck lift him up into his arms and carry him out to the car. Abuela hugged Eddie a little more tightly than normal and made the sign of the cross over his chest. "Te quiero, Eddito," she said to him.

"I love you too," he replied, kissing her on the cheek. "Thank you for taking care of Christopher."

"Any time," she replied warmly. "You have a nice time in Las Vegas with Buck on the weekend."

He nodded, letting out a _whoosh_ of breath. "I know we're going on a honeymoon next month," he replied, "but this is going to blow Buck's mind, and he has no idea why we're going to Vegas. I can't wait to tell him."

"You're going to be a wonderful husband partner to him," she said seriously. "You're very thoughtful. And Eddie, your parents will come around. I know they will."

He nodded. "I hope so."

She kissed him on the cheek again. "Go to your boys. I will see you when you get back."

He flashed a smile and then jogged over to the car, sliding into the front passenger seat. Chimney already had Christopher in stitches, his head thrown back with laughter. Chimney even walked them into the house when they arrived home, still teasing Christopher. Eddie grabbed a couple of bottles of water from the fridge and handed one to Buck, who was boiling some water on the stove to make tea.

"Hot chocolate for me," Eddie said to him. "Super strong."

"Got it. You go for your shower; it'll be ready when you come out."

Eddie rubbed his back and wandered down the hallway to the bathroom. He peeled off his clothes and threw everything in the sink, leaned in to turn the water on as hot as it would go, and finally stepped under the spray. Dirt was caked into his skin, and the water that flowed off his body and into the drain was brown. His skin tingled, but he stood under the spray for a couple of minutes, slowly beginning to warm up.

When he exited and dressed in a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, he pulled a sweater on as well and then headed out to check on his boys. Chimney was still there, on the floor with Christopher, listening to him chat about school. Buck was sitting at the table, sipping a cup of tea, dark circles under his eyes, but he stood when Eddie appeared and went into the kitchen to pour him a cup of hot chocolate. The first sip was like heaven; warmth spreading all the way through his body, right to the tips of his toes.

"All right," Chimney said, rising to his feet. "You two are okay?"

"Yeah, we're good," Eddie replied. "Thanks, man. We're going to hit the hay."

"All right. I'll see you guys in the morning, hopefully for a less exciting day."

Eddie put Christopher to bed while Buck showered, peppering his face with kisses, much to his dismay. They read for a while, and Eddie was about to close the book and climb out of bed when Christopher asked quietly, "Are you okay, Dad?"

"Yeah, buddy," he replied, brushing his fingers through his hair. "Buck and I just had a big day, that's all." The bathroom door opened, and Buck stepped out, clad in a pair of long pyjama pants and no shirt. Eddie said, "Put a sweater on."

"I'm not cold," Buck complained.

"Just do it for me."

"Ugh, fine." Buck waved to Christopher and then went into the main bedroom.

Eddie kissed Christopher on the cheek again and said, "Do you want another chapter?"

"No, I'm okay, as long as you're okay."

"Yeah, I'm good, kiddo. We're both good."

He climbed out of the bed and tucked him in, switching off the lamp. Christopher was asleep before he closed the door, his breathing deep and even, head turned to the side. Eddie watched him for a moment, a lump in his throat, before wandering out to flick off the lights in the house and then joining Buck in the bedroom.

"You okay?" Buck asked him from his perch on the edge of the bed.

"Tired."

"Yeah, me too." Buck extended his bad leg and said, "It's pretty sore."

"Icy Hot still in the drawer?"

"Yeah, I bought a fresh tube." Buck slid up onto the bed, tucking pillows behind his back.

Eddie found the tube, sat on the edge of the bed with Buck's leg in his lap, his sweatpants rolled up to the knee, and massaged the cream into his calf and shin. "Might get you to do my knee," he said quietly.

"Anything you want, my love."

Eddie smiled at him. "Big day."

"Bad day."

"I still think about that woman. I tried to find her."

Buck shook his head. "I don't know, Eds. We may never know. Maybe she passed out? God, I hope she's not still out there, alone… fuck."

"She wouldn't have survived the second landslide. We barely did."

"I had no intention of dying right before I find out what my birthday surprise is," Buck said smartly. "Vegas, huh? What's in Vegas?" He paused, mulling it over, before sucking in a breath. "Eddie. Are we eloping?"

Eddie shook his head with a chuckle. "We didn't survive today only to die at the hands of my sisters, baby."

~~

Buck was excited and nervous – had no idea what Eddie had planned but couldn't wait to find out. Their Thursday at work was thankfully a little less crazy than the Wednesday, though the team were being extra nice to them, and even organised a cake for his birthday before they left for the day.

That night Eddie kicked him out of the bedroom while he packed their bags for them, and Buck sat in the living room with Christopher, working on their _Jurassic Park_ Lego set.

"What are you and Dad doing this weekend?" Christopher asked him curiously.

He decided a little white lie wouldn't hurt. "Your dad has something planned for my birthday and he won't tell me what it is."

"Are you going to miss me?"

"Bud, I miss you every second we're not together," Buck replied, stretching his legs out. "I'll buy you a present, though. Something cool."

"I can't wait to go on holidays," Christopher declared.

"Not long to go now. Just over a month and we'll be in Hawaii."

"Am I going to like it?"

Buck nodded enthusiastically. "Wait until we get you in that ocean! So blue – you won't believe how blue the ocean is. You've never seen an ocean so blue, I promise. And I've got super cool stuff planned for us to do. Some big surprises."

"Ella said that kids don't usually go on honeymoons," Christopher said curiously.

"Well, the way we looked at it – your dad and I don't get much time off," he replied. "And because we were planning on going away for a few weeks to somewhere really special, we decided you had to come along with us. There's no way you're missing out on Hawaii."

Christopher beamed. "Cool."

"Yeah, cool."

~~

Their flight was in the morning. Pepa took them to the airport, and they each gave Christopher a hug and kiss goodbye. Eddie felt guilty as all hell when he saw Christopher's eyes fill with tears and his lower lip tremble, but he swallowed that down, knelt in front of him and said seriously, "We'll be home in 48 hours. You can call us any time you want and we'll both answer – except tomorrow night," he whispered, a finger to his lips, and Christopher nodded seriously. Buck was distracted with their luggage. "I'll buy you an awesome present, okay? I love you. Be good for your aunt."

"I will, I love you too," Christopher said tearfully, as Eddie wrapped him in a hug and kissed his cheek repeatedly.

He managed to swallow down his own tears, waiting while Buck said his goodbyes as well. They headed into the airport together and checked in. After they made it through security Eddie led Buck directly to a bar and bought a couple of beers, ignoring the fact that it was well before midday.

Buck sat on the stool beside him and clinked their bottles together. "Morning drinks," he said with a grin. "Must be my birthday."

"Not until tomorrow, but we're starting early." Eddie grinned at him. "Hey – you look fucking hot today."

Buck's eyes lit up, and he looked down at his outfit – a white shirt, with a tropical button-up over the top (Christopher had picked it out, unable to stop laughing – the top was patterned with flamingos) and a pair of brown khakis. "You look pretty fucking hot yourself," he said, arching an eyebrow.

Eddie was just wearing a white Henley and some jeans, but he shrugged modestly. "I might've put in a little effort for you."

"Maybe." Buck knocked their knees together and swigged his beer. "So, when are you going to tell me the surprise?"

"Look, I fully expect that when we land in Las Vegas you will see a giant billboard somewhere and figure it out, but until that happens, my lips are zipped."

"I have no idea," Buck murmured. "Not a clue. I know you're not into gambling… I know we're not getting married, although if you want to, I'm definitely into that idea… I know you don't even really _like_ Las Vegas, so…"

"I've only been once before, for a bachelor party," Eddie replied. "I was drunk for most of it."

"I've been a few times. I went with Steve once to see Britney Spears," he said, raising his eyebrows. "Steve loves Britney Spears."

"I bet you were into that."

"She was pretty hot. Actually, it was a good concert – we saw Mariah Carey the next night, but I enjoyed Britney way more." Buck swigged his beer.

Eddie was about to respond when he spotted a familiar figure cutting through the bar towards them and tried not to groan. "Turn around," he said to Buck in a low voice.

Buck did as he was told, and quickly plastered a smile on his face. "Wow, Abby," he said, as she and Sam reached them. "Nice to see you guys. Sam – you're looking well, man. Glad to see you recovered."

"All thanks to you two," Sam replied, holding his hand out so Buck could shake it, and quickly offering it to Eddie as well. "We saw you sitting here, and I just had to say thank you to my two favourite firefighters."

"Mine too," Abby said with a smile, glancing at him affectionately. "It's so nice to see you guys. How are you? You're still together, obviously?"

"Engaged," Buck replied, holding up his left hand. "The wedding is next month."

"Wow, congratulations," Sam said enthusiastically. "That's great! You know, I was pretty out of it in that train, but I thought you two had a connection."

Buck smiled at Eddie adoringly. "He loves me."

Eddie shrugged and said dryly, "You're all right." Buck gave him a playful shove in response.

"Where are you two heading off to?" Abby asked curiously.

"We're going to Vegas; it's Buck's birthday tomorrow," Eddie replied.

"Oh, of course," she said, smiling warmly at Buck. "Happy birthday for tomorrow."

"Thanks. You guys heading home?"

"No, we're actually flying to Tahiti," she replied, arching her eyebrows. "We decided to do something special for our one-year anniversary."

"And our flight is about to board," Sam said, glancing at his watch, "but we had to stop by and say hello. Happy birthday for tomorrow, Buck – and good luck with the wedding, you guys. I hope you have a fantastic day."

"We will," Buck said, shaking his hand again. "Good to see you guys again. Take care, all right? No more train trips."

"We're good on trains," Abby said with a laugh, leaning in to press a kiss to Buck's cheek. "So nice to see you again, Buck. You too, Eddie."

Eddie watched them leave, swallowing another mouthful of beer. "She always pops up when we least expect it."

Buck grinned. "Still jealous?"

"No."

"Liar."

~~

The flight to Vegas was mercifully short, and they disembarked in the dry desert heat – thankfully away from the rain that had been blanketing LA for the last week. They collected their luggage and caught a taxi to their hotel – the Mirage – and it was on the way to the Strip that Buck spotted a billboard, and his jaw dropped.

"Eddie," he said in a low voice, hoping and praying that his guess was going to be the right one, "did you bring me to Las Vegas to see Paul McCartney on my birthday?"

Eddie gave a smug grin and said, "Ah, you figured it out."

"No."

"Yes."

"How?"

"I saw he was touring – thought maybe I'd buy tickets for us to see him in LA and realised that clashed with our honeymoon," he explained, "so then I thought, well, maybe we can go for your birthday and that's when it all fell into place. I'm giving you a Beatle for your birthday, babe. The man is 79 years old and I really hope he doesn't die on stage tomorrow night."

"I'm pretty sure touring sustains his life force," Buck replied, wanting desperately to drown Eddie in kisses, but restraining himself in the presence of their taxi driver. "Eds, this is amazing."

"I'm a great fiancé," Eddie replied, squeezing his knee, "because not only are you seeing a real live Beatle tomorrow night – tonight we're going to that Cirque de Soleil Beatles thing as well. Again, you're welcome."

"We're seeing _Love_?!" Buck practically squealed, and Eddie laughed. "No way!"

"Yes way! That's why I booked the Mirage! We're going tonight!"

"Oh my god," he groaned. "I just bought you a freaking camera!"

"You only turn thirty once, and this is our last trip together before we're an old married couple," Eddie replied, taking his hand. "So we're doing it right."

~~

They dropped their luggage off at the hotel and hit the strip, sweltering in the summer heat. They quickly found a Mexican restaurant to cool off in, ordered some margaritas and shared a huge plate of nachos, grinning at each other across the table.

They took a detour through a mall on the way back to the hotel, stopping in at a couple of shops to buy Christopher some presents. Buck spotted a sex shop and tried to drag Eddie into it, laughing when he resisted, digging his heels in.

Upon returning to the hotel they dropped their bags in their room and fell on the bed together, laughing. Eddie kissed him thoroughly and said, "You want to go for a swim?"

Buck shook his head meaningfully. "I want to show my appreciation for your hard work."

"Well, I'm kinda sweaty, so maybe you show me some appreciation in the bathroom," Eddie suggested, "and then I show you some appreciation back out here?"

"Deal."

Eddie had thoughtfully selected a room with a shower big enough for two, and after they'd showered, Buck dropped to his knees and gave him an enthusiastic blow job, holding onto Eddie's hips with both hands, digging his fingers in hard enough to leave bruises. Eddie leaned against the cool tiles, running his fingers through Buck's hair, slowly working his hips back and forth.

Buck slid a hand around to grab his ass, squeezing, and Eddie's breath caught in his throat. Buck's eyes were trained on his face, his cheeks hollowed out, and when his fingers slipped between Eddie's cheeks, stroking the soft skin gently, Eddie nodded at him breathlessly.

Buck pulled away, turned him around, pushed him up against the wall and parted his ass cheeks with both hands, dragging his tongue over his tight hole. Eddie moaned, stroking himself with one hand, lost in the sensation of Buck's tongue flicking against him indecently.

Buck was right – he didn't often know how to ask for it, but he wanted more. He heard himself say, "Fuck me, babe, please," and Buck groaned against him, pulling away long enough to suck a hickey to his ass cheek.

"Did you bring it?"

He nodded. He'd used the vibrator on Buck once, watched as he went crazy for it, but hadn't suggested using it on himself.

"You want?"

He nodded again. "It's in the bottom of my bag."

"I'm going to take care of you," Buck promised, rising to his feet, stroking his hands up and down Eddie's back. "For my present. Okay?"

"You're getting an awful lot of presents," Eddie commented, turning his head to the side. "Where do you want me?"

"Right there. Don't move. Don't touch yourself." Buck quickly dried himself off and hurried out to the bedroom. He returned a minute later with the lube and the toy, switching it on to make sure it was working, and setting the vibration to low. "Touch," he said, and Eddie pressed his fingers to it. "That's the starting point."

"Okay."

"If you hate it, tell me to stop, and I will." Buck nuzzled his shoulder with his nose and murmured, "But I don't think you will."

"Okay," he said again, both hands on the wall.

Buck ran the vibrating toy over his lower back and ass, pulling his hips out slowly. He dragged it between his cheeks and held it against his entrance lightly. The sensation went right to his cock, and he desperately wanted to touch himself, but didn't.

Buck removed the vibrator and replaced it with his lubricated fingers, gently pistoning them in and out of Eddie until he was nodding. The anticipation had him breaking out in goosebumps, and Buck pressed soft kisses to the back of his neck and shoulders while he fingered him, brushing against his prostate every so often.

"You're so beautiful," Buck said in his ear, "and I love you so much."

"I love you too," he replied, pushing back against his fingers. "You're the only man I ever want touching me."

"I'm the only man who will." Buck pulled his fingers out, and he was empty for only a second before he felt the toy slip inside, slowly and carefully, until it was pressed against his prostate. It was off, and he was practically trembling, his cock leaking from the tip, waiting for the sensation to start.

Buck pressed up against him, his cock fitting snugly between Eddie's ass cheeks, holding the toy in place. Eddie could feel his breath on the back of his neck, and when Buck held the remote for the toy around so he could see it, he gave a nod of encouragement.

The vibration kicked in, and his legs turned almost to jelly. He gasped, thrusting involuntarily, as the sensation shot right up his spine. "Oh my fucking god!"

Buck sucked an open, wet kiss to his shoulder, his cock sliding up and down between Eddie's cheeks. Eddie thrust again, as a burst of pleasure rushed through him, and a half-moan, half-groan burst from his lips as he pressed up against Buck urgently.

"Good," Buck said in his ear. "More?"

"No, just… no," he panted, reaching around to grab Buck's hip. "Fuck, my knees are going to give out."

At that Buck pulled away long enough to turn him around, planted his feet on the floor and lifted Eddie up into his arms. Eddie shook as he wrapped his legs around Buck's hips, the toy buzzing inside of him, and Buck pushed him against the wall and held him in place, barely breaking a sweat.

He reached down and gave the toy a little push, pressing in harder, and Eddie let out a ragged moan and sank his teeth into Buck's shoulder.

"Oh, you like it," Buck murmured. "You want a little more?"

He couldn't answer, so Buck set the vibrator to pulsate, and waves of pleasure rolled through his body. His jaw dropped, and he buried his face against Buck's neck and whimpered, hanging onto him for dear life.

Suddenly they were moving, out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. Buck lowered him carefully onto the bed and straddled him, holding the remote up again and turning the pulse up higher. Eddie clutched the sheets with both hands and threw his head back and forth, rutting against Buck desperately.

"Stop," Buck said, raising his eyebrows, planting a hand on his chest. "Stop, slow down, don't come."

"Fuck," he groaned, thrusting his hips up. "Please."

"Wait." Buck bent over to kiss him, turned the vibration down low, and grabbed the lube. He slicked up his fingers again and worked himself open as they shared open-mouthed kisses, before reaching back to grasp Eddie's cock and guide it inside himself, sinking down until he was buried to the hilt.

"Jesus," Eddie whispered.

"No, my name's Buck."

He groaned, shaking his head. "You're going to be the death of me."

"God, I hope not," Buck said, rolling his hips. "Don't die until after I come, all right? You look so fucking good. Tonight after the show, bring me back here and just fuck me, all right? Fuck me until I can't walk properly."

"Are we talking dirty now?" Eddie asked, arching an eyebrow, and then practically shouting as Buck turned the vibration up without warning.

"Yeah, we're talking dirty," Buck said breathlessly, riding his cock, one hand pressed flat against Eddie's chest. "First you're going to put me on my knees and put your cock in my mouth—"

"Oh god, yeah—"

"And then you're going to fuck my mouth, Eds." He adjusted the vibration again, putting it back on pulse, and Eddie couldn't help but thrust up into him, hard. "And then you're going to bend me over and fuck me until I can't keep myself up anymore, until I'm begging you to let me come. Just like you're going to beg me to let you come any minute now," he teased, as Eddie practically thrashed beneath him, tossing his head from side to side, totally overwhelmed.

The vibration suddenly kicked in again, higher than before, and Eddie went slack again, breathing heavily, staring up at Buck in awe. A tear slipped down his cheek and Buck leaned over to lick it away before sinking back down onto his cock again.

Eddie whimpered, "Can I?"

Buck shook his head, grabbing Eddie's hand and wrapping it around his cock. "Make me come first."

His whole body was on fire, and he was trembling, but he managed to stroke Buck's cock efficiently, watching as a blush of red spread from Buck's face down his chest. His movements became a little less precise, and he jerked when Eddie managed to say, "God, you're so fucking good at riding my cock, aren't you?"

"Oh god," Buck gasped, and came all over Eddie's stomach and chest, shuddering as he leaned over to kiss him.

"Me, me," Eddie begged against his lips, and Buck let out a chuckle, rolling off him and onto his back with his legs spread. Eddie wasted no time and slid on top of him, pushing back inside, and thrusting hard as the toy buzzed insistently inside him. Buck switched it to pulsate again and it was all over in a matter of seconds – Eddie let out a shout as his orgasm ripped through him, and he emptied himself inside Buck, shaking as he was rocked with aftershocks.

And then he flopped onto the bed beside him, snatched the remote from Buck and turned it off, letting his legs fall open. "Fucking hell."

Buck nodded, breathing heavily. "Yeah, that was good. You're gonna do that more."

"Am I? With our son in the other room?"

"Any time he's not home, I'm fucking you with that thing. Jesus Christ, Eds." Buck leaned in and kissed him sloppily, and then groaned, "Fuck, I'm starving. Let's order room service."

Eddie kissed him again, nodding eagerly. "Let's not tell them we fucked all over their nice sheets."

"I put a towel down."

~

They had an early room service dinner, dressed and headed down for the show. Eddie bought them a couple of drinks as they went into the theatre, and they settled into their seats – dead centre, right in the middle – and waited for the show to begin. He'd worried that he might find it boring but he enjoyed the hell out of it – not as much as Buck, who kept grabbing him every so often, unable to tear his eyes away, a huge smile on his face.

"That was amazing," Buck said as they left the theatre, draping his arm around Eddie's shoulders. "What's next?"

"The night is young. Let's go for a walk along the strip."

"Are we gambling?"

"It's your birthday. Whatever you want."

"Okay, so," Buck said, skipping ahead slightly, turning around with bright eyes, "I want to get married."

Eddie stopped, shaking his head. "We can't."

"Why not? Seriously, why not?"

"Because they'll find out that we did it without them and they'll be pissed," he replied. "You really think Maddie, Adriana and Sophia would be cool with us eloping?"

"They never have to know," Buck said.

"Babe, we have to sign the Marriage Certificate with the celebrant, we've already got the paperwork – it's just another month," he said, sliding his arms around Buck's waist. "One more month."

Buck pouted. "I really want to get married today. What if we call the celebrant when we get back and tell her that we kinda accidentally sorta got married in Vegas and can she just fudge the paperwork and not tell anyone?"

Eddie sighed, shaking his head. "You want to get married at that Elvis chapel, don't you?"

"I don't care where," Buck said passionately. "Listen, we've never done anything right, have we? We hid our relationship for months, we moved in together super quickly, we got engaged quickly… what's one more thing? One more thing just for us?"

Eddie had to admit it was tempting, and he was swept up in the romance of it as well… but he thought about Christopher, and how seriously he was taking his role in the wedding, and said firmly, "We can't. _Christopher._ "

A look of understanding washed across Buck's face. "Fuck," he said, and nodded. "Yep. You're right. I just… I wish we'd made the wedding for June."

Eddie laughed, leaning in to kiss him. "Just a few more weeks," he promised, "and then happily ever after."

"Better be."

~~

The next day was spent in a haze of sex, with a brief sojourn to the pool in the middle of the day, a late lunch, and then Buck was too wired to do anything except bounce around their room in the afternoon, filled with nervous excitement for the concert.

They decided to have a quick bite to eat before and headed over to the arena. Once they were inside, Buck dragged Eddie over to the merchandise stand and spent way too much money, before heading in to find their seats.

"Hey," Eddie said, as the lights began to dim. "Happy birthday, my love."

"Best present ever," he replied, leaning in to kiss him.

The man himself walked out on stage, as spritely as ever, his guitar held over his head. The unmistakeable opening chords of _A Hard Day's Night_ filled the air, and Buck was in heaven.

He kept his arm around Eddie, singing along loudly, unable to help himself. About four or five songs in, he realised Eddie was watching him more than the show and beamed at him. He couldn't wipe the smile from his face, and Eddie laughed at him affectionately.

"This is the greatest thing I've ever seen in my life," he shouted in Eddie's ear, over the sounds of _Get Back_ , "and I love you so fucking much."

"I love you too, and it's actually pretty good," Eddie shouted back.

There was a corny favourite song of his, tucked away on the Wings _Venus & Mars_ album, that he never expected to hear live. It was so schmaltzy, in fact, that he'd never actually played it for Eddie, who had his limits so far as schmaltz went.

But when Paul McCartney moved to the piano, and the first bars of the song ran out, he couldn't help but grab Eddie, pull him in close and blurt out, " _I fucking LOVE this song."_

 _You gave me the answer_ _  
To love eternally.  
I love you and - you,  
You seem to like me.  
_

_Wherever we wander  
The local folk agree,  
I love you and - you,  
You seem to like me._

He couldn't help but sing along, his eyes trained on Eddie, who smiling at him with the look of the man who'd realised he was marrying the corniest, cheesiest person on the planet.

And he was.

~~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any geographical errors are mine, particular about the potential for landslides in Los Angeles. For the sake of this story, that's a thing that could happen.
> 
> \---
> 
> Find me @ Tumblr: [woodchoc-magnum](https://woodchoc-magnum.tumblr.com/)
> 
> [Paul McCartney & Wings - You Gave Me the Answer](https://youtu.be/T9rdFXixSDg)


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